Name: Wendy Williams
Age: 47
Job Title and Description: Host of The Wendy Williams Show
College/Major: Communications Major at Northeastern University
Website: www.wendyshow.com
Twitter Handle: @wendywilliams
Her Campus: You’ve had some incredible guests like Elizabeth Hurley and Jane Lynch. What are you most excited about this fall?
Wendy Williams: Everything! I’m excited about the prospect of meeting new guests and also continuing to reinforce the relationships I have with guests that have come on in the past two years. I’m looking forward to getting better as a talk show host. I feel very comfortable with my audience and doing live TV. We can all improve on the things that we do and I’m open to improvement in all aspects.
HC: We imagine a life in the day of Wendy Williams is super busy. Is there such a thing as a typical day or is your schedule ever changing?
WW: I do have my typical days. Today is Friday: the only show that is not live is Friday’s show; we actually tape on Thursday afternoon. On Fridays I wake up with my son and husband at 6 am (my husband is my manager and one of the co-producers of the show), get my son ready for school, and then I go to the gym. Generally speaking I leave Manhattan around 1:30 pm and I’m home around 3 pm. My son comes home around 3:30 pm and I make dinner a couple days a week. I’d say it’s pretty routine!
HC: How did you first get started in the industry?
WW: My first job in media was actually hosting a radio show at my college radio station. While I didn’t get paid, I worked it like a job: Be on time, be prepared. College, entry-level radio, and subsequently an internship were extremely important to me at that particular time. I secured my own job and I worked in the Virgin Islands and I had a radio show there. I made $2.75 an hour, which was minimum wage back in 1986 when I graduated. I was broke but I was happy! I did it on my own and that self-satisfaction was a wonderful thing.
HC: What is the best part of your job?
WW: Making people smile and enlightening others. I have a happy career and it came at just the right time.
HC: What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar career aspirations?
WW: Be diligent in your career and in your 20s. By your 30s you’re mixing other things into your career like a serious boyfriend, marriage, or children. We as women give up a lot more than men in terms of relationships. It’s still a man’s world but we have a new generation so let’s change that. I’m counting on you to fight the fight! Go after the big job and remember: Happiness is what makes you happy—not the dollar.
Collegiettes™: Head here for official TV listings of The Wendy Williams Show so you can tune in!
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